Conveyer.



J. Ni. ALVEY.

CONVEYEH.

APPLICATION mit) fL. l5. 19H1.

1,268,663. luicntcd Jun@ Ll, 19H5.

x y 2 SHEETS-SHEEY l.

ell'torncxj 1. M. ALVEY.

CONVEYER.

Avr'ucmlore mnu ne.

I5, ISIN.

Patented June 4, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I To all whom it ma same.

UED STATES revisar nismo.

JOHN M. ALVEY, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE ALVEY-FEBGUSON COMPANY, F OAKLEY, CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION 0F OHIO.

GONVEYEE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une d, 1918.

concern.'

Be it known t at I, JOHN M. Anvnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky,fhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveyers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to elevators -of a type adapted to receive packages from a gravity conveyer and to conduct said packages to a different level. Some elevators of this character comprise traveling chains carrying transverse flights which engage behind the packa es and, if the packages are to be elevated, orce the packa es along over the bed of the elevator while i? the packages are to be lowered the ghts retard the movement of the packages, preventing the packages from moving any faster than the iii hts and insuring that the packages will be sa ely and gently conducted to a lower level.

The present invention relates particularly to improved means for causin t e packages to move on to the elevator an into position to be properly engaged by the transverse flights before the inclined part of the bed of the elevator is reached. To secure this result I provide at the entrance end of the elevator a short section of positively driven belt conveyer which preferably lies entirely in a straight, horizontal portion of the eleval tor and which has its upper ight disposed substantially in the plane of the upper sur# face of the gravity conveyer serving the Consequently packages may move ently and without shock or jar on to said elt conveyer and be moved thereby -to a point beyond the point where the transverse flights move upwardly from the lower to the upper portions of their runs. Thus, engagiement of said fli hts with the bottoms of t packages and t e consequent bodily lifting of said packages by said flights will be largely avoided and packages will be ositively moved to a position where the H1 hts may engage behind their rear ends, w en` the packages are to be elevated, and positively propel said packages over the bed of the elevator.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which now follows.

-In the accompanying drawin s,

Figure 1 is a. view partly in ongitudinal section and partly in side elevation of an ele vator constructed in accordance with the invention. v

Fig. 2 is a plan viewthereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the lower part of the elevator and Fig. 4 is a transverse section upon line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing it will be seen that the elevator is of general S shape and that it comprises upper side frame angles of L shape in cross section designated 5, 5 and lower side Aframe angles of L shape in cross section, designated 6, 6*. The angles 5a`a`re reversed with respect to the angles 5, that is the angles 5u have their horizontal portions disposed downwardly while the angles 5 have their horizontal portions dis-- posed upwardly. The same thing is true with respect to the angles 6 and 62 Thus these angles are caused to act as guides for the flight carrying chains hereinafter describe said guides causing the chains to conform to the general S shape of the elevator. Vertical a les 7 constitute supports for' the lower en of the elevator and vertical angles 8 constitute sup orts for the upper end of the elevator. pright angles 9 extend between the angles 5, 5'* and 6, 6 at intervals, and in connection with oblique ,braces 10 complete the main frame of the elevator. A transverse shaft 1l at the lower end of the elevator is mounted in slidinv bearings 12, (only one of which is shown. These bearings may be longitudinally ad justed upon guide ways 13, by screws 14, these guide ways being secured to angles 15, which are in turn secured to the vertical angles 7. The shaft 11 carries sprocket wheels 16 over which s rocket chains 17 pass. At the upper end o the elevator these sprocket chains pass over sprocket wheels 18 that are mounted upon a transverse shaft 19. This shaft is driven b a gear wheel 20, pinion 21, shaft 22, and pu ley 23 from a mo tor 24.

The chains 17 carry transversely extending Hights 25 and these {iights are preferably roller ilights. That is they comprise tubular members 26 which rotate upon fixed members 27 that nre secured to the chains 17. So far as described the parts are of usual and well known construction, the novel features constituting the present invention residing in the provision of a positively driven conveyer section at the entrance end of thix elevator and in the correlation of this positively driven conveyor section with the bed of Ilic elevator.

ln the particular embodiment of the invention herein shown and described the positively driven conveyor section referred t-o comprises an apron 2S which is secured tio and is carried hy sprocket chains 29 and 30. These sprocket chains pass over sprocket wheels 51 and 32 upon the shaft 11., and they also pass over sprocket Wheels 33 and 34 upon a shaft 35. This shaft is journaled in a sliding bearing 3G which is mounted upon guides 37, the latter being secured to angles 55S that are supported by legs 7. Screws 39 provide means for adjusting the bearings Bti to adjust the tension of the chains 29 and 3() and the apron 28 While the screws 14 provide means for adjusting the tension of the main conveyor chains 17.

A section of gravity conveyor 40 leads to the entrance end of the elevator and a section of gravity conveyor 41 leads from the discharge end ofthe elevator. Itis apparent that if power derived from the motor 24 be utilized l0 impartL movement to the shaft 19 the chains 17 will be driven and will in turn drive shaft 11. This will result in iniparting movement to the chains 29 and 30 and apron 28. v

The bed of the elevator consists of a steel plate 42 which is supported upon transverse angles 43. The lower end of this bed terminates close to the discharge end of the apron 28, so that packages may move directly from the apron onto Vthis bed and be forced along said bed by thc flights 25 engaged therebehind.

It is apparent that these flights must move from the lower runs of the chains 17 to the upper runs thereof at a point between the discharge end of the gravitv conve er 40 and the adjacent end of the apron an the presence of this apron provides positive means for feeding the packages past this point and for causing them to move over to a position where these flights ma engage behind their rear ends, so that by t ie time that the packages reach the stationary bed 42, preparatory to traveling1r up the inclined portion of the elevator said lli hts will be properly engaged with the pac rages to propel them along said bed.

So called elevators of the type herein shown and described may be, and frequently are, used to lower packages instead of elevating them, it being only necessary to reverse the direction of movement of the chains in order to accomplish this result. Conscqnently Whenever an elevator is referred to herein it is to be understood that this term includes structures used for lowering as well as for elevating packages.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention illustrated in the accompanyingf drawing is merely exemplary and that the invention is' not limited to the particular constructions disclosed, for varyimr changes may be made therein without departure from the invention. lt is therefore to be understood that the invention includes Within its purview whatever changes fairly come within the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. An elevator comprising :t substantially horizontal receiving end portion and an inclined portion, said elevator embodying a transverse shaft at its entrance end, sprocket wheels upon said shaft` chains passing over said sprocket wheels, transverse flights carried by said chains, a bed over which articles are propelled by said flights, said bed terminating short of said shaft, a conveyor apron extending from the termination of said bed to the entrance end of the elevator and means carried by the aforesaid shaft over which said apron passes and by which the apron is driven.

2. An elevator comprising an inclined portion and a substantially horizontal receiving end portion, a transverse shaft at the entrance end of the elevator, sprocket wheels carried by said shaft, sprocket chains passing over Said sprocket wheels, transverse Hight-s carried by the sprocket chains, a bed over which articles are propelled by said flights and which bed terminates a material distance short of the entrance end of the elevator, a gravity conveyer leading to the entrance end of the elevator and an endless conveyingr apron extending from the termination of the bed to the entrance end of the elevator and passing about and being driven from the aforesaid Shaft, the up er Hight of said apron being substantia ly in the plane of the upper surface of the gravity conveyor whereby packages may pass directly and uninterruptedly `from the gravity conveyor upon said apron.

3. Ah elevator comprising a substantially horizontal receiving end portion and an inclined portion, said elevator embodying a transverse shaft at its entrance end, traveling flight carrying elements and means upon said .shaft by which said flight carryiup: elements are driven, a bed over which articles are propelled hy the flights, which hed terminates short oit' said shaft, a conveyor a ron extending from the termination of said ed to the entrance end of the elevalor'and means carried by the aforesaid shaft over which said apron passes and by which the apron is driven.

4. An elevator comprising a substantially horizontal receiving end portion and an inclined portion, said elevator embodying a transverse shaft at its entrance end, traveling Hight carrying elements and means upon said shaft by which said flight carrying elements are driven, a bed over which articles are propelled by the Iii hts which terminates short of said sha t, a eonveyer apron extending from the termination of said bed to the entrance end of the elevator, means carried by the aforesaid shaft over which said apron passes and by which the apron is driven, and .2 gravity conveyer leading to the entrance end of the elevator and having its upper surface disposed substantially in the plane of the upper rim of the apron so that packages mayA pass directly and uninterruptedly from thegravity conveyer to the apron. i"

5. n elevator of substantially S shape Comprising an intermediate inclined portion and substantially horizontal end portions, sprocket wheels at the opposite ends of said elevator, chains passing over said. sprocket wheels, flights carried by said chains, abed over which packages are moved by said flights, a gravity eonveyer section leading to one end of said elevator, sprocket wheels on the shaft adjacent said gravity conveyer, sprocket chains passing over' said sprocket wheels, additional sprocket Wheels over 'whieli the last named sprocket chains pass, disposed tfljacei'l 'the end of the bed and an einen secured to the last named sprocket chains.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

i J OHN M. ALVEY. Witnesses:

POWELL CRIoH'roNs A. F. UPsoN. 

